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5.3 million people voted in the first week of early voting

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The number of Texas voters is high as nearly 30% cast ballots at the end of the first week of early voting as the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remains close.

Harris, along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Trump with his running mate from Ohio, Sen. JD Vance, are driving high voter engagement across the state in this hotly contested presidential race. Both presidential candidates visited the Lone Star State last week to persuade undecided voters.

Meanwhile, Texas also has a crucial Senate race as Democratic candidate Colin Allred of Dallas challenges incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Several major proposals are also on the ballot, including Amarillo's Proposal A to become a sanctuary city for the unborn, Dallas' cannabis decriminalization proposal and several school bond measures in districts such as Austin's, Frisco's and Allen's.

More: Early voting is underway in Texas. Check out over 90 suggestions from the state's largest cities

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How many Texas voters have cast ballots so far this year?

By the end of the first week of early voting, at least 5.3 million Texans — nearly 30% of the state's registered voters — had cast their ballots, according to the latest data from the Texas Secretary of State. As of Tuesday morning, updated numbers show 5.98 million Texans voted, representing a voter turnout of over 32%.

With four days of early voting remaining and Election Day still ahead, voter turnout is on track to approach record highs from the 2020 presidential election. At this point in 2020, over 8.1 million Texans had already voted. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, this election included six additional days of early voting and expanded mail-in options, giving voters more time than the current election.

In total, about 11.3 million Texans cast their ballots in 2020, with a turnout of about 67% among 16.95 million registered voters. Today, Texas has a record 18.62 million registered voters.

Current data may not adequately represent voter turnout as some counties have not yet updated their numbers, suggesting actual turnout is likely higher than reported.

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